When I was twenty I had a steady job. The pay was just above minimum wage, but it allowed me enough to move out of my parents’ house and into a house with some friends. I had a car. I had spending money, and the freedom to spend it on what I wanted. I could by a plane ticket and leave for a week to visit Portland. I had freedom that I had never had before. Let me tell you what twenty years old looks like for my friend “LJ.”
LJ is twenty years old. She has two kids, age 4 and 2. Their father left them all. LJ has a job, she is a dancer at Club Asia on Walking Street, a place known for its disgusting level of sex trafficking. LJ dances in a little red dress that leaves little to the imagination and heels that take her from about 4’11” to 5’4”. LJ’s job is to dance, but only until a customer tells her to stop. At any point a customer can call her down from the stage to buy her a drink. She makes money off of this drink so of course she will join him. At any point in LJ’s shift, if that customer desires, he can go to her “bar manager” and pay a fine that allows LJ to leave the bar for the night, but here is the catch, if that customer pays the bar fine, LJ belongs to him for the night and he can take her wherever he wants and do whatever he wants.
On a tuesday night I found myself in Club Asia. I was there with some of my teammates, and our parents (yes I took my parents into a place like that and would absolutely recomend it.) I looked up and I saw a young girl just dancing to the music in her own little world, so I became her customer. I called her down off the stage to sit with me and talk. I would not call myself an intimidating person, but let me tell you, she was scared of me and I don’t blame her. LJ was very timid but came and sat with me anyway for the briefest of moments. She obviously did not want to be sitting with me and felt that being on stage with all eyes on her in the tiny dress was still more comfortable than being with this man that, for all she knew, wanted nothing more than to buy her for the night. So she asked me if she could go back up on stage. The last thing I wanted to do was make her uncomfortable by forcing her to sit with me, so I didn’t refuse. But God wanted me to go after her specifically that night, so he pushed me until I asked her if I could go on stage with her. A bit shocked, she ushered me on stage with her and the other dancers. I am an awful dancer, but y’all, I got more undignified for the Lord in that moment because I gave it all I had. LJ started to smile but was still very guarded. It wasn’t until my teammate Alina got up and danced with me on stage and they got to see how her and I interacted that she became visibly more comfortable with me.
After a few songs, I was winded so I decided to go back to my booth and my drink. Imagine my surprise to see LJ follow me to the booth and sit with me. I bought her a drink and began to get to know her. Did she like working in that bar? No. Did you go to college? No, she only finished 9th grade. If you didn’t have to work here would you leave? Yes, absolutley. These were the questions that I asked her, interwoven in small talk. She would answer more and more all the time getting more confortable, smiling more, laughing more. She reminded me of my friends, those back home, and those sitting a table away. When we were told we were going to these bars to minister to victims of sex trafficking I expected to see brokenness. I did not expect to see so much life. I knew she did not want to be in that bar, so I did what we came that night to do, I offered her a way out. The organization we were working with provides a place to live and education opportunities completely free of charge. To all these girls it sounds way too good to be true (it sounded too good to be true when I first heard it until I saw it all for myself.) So I put the offer on the table for her to come to the houses the next day and see it all with her own eyes. She told me she would think about it, but I still had the feeling she didn’t trust me. “We can give you a safe place to stay tonight when you get off work too, and in the morning all you have to do is get on the bus and we will show you the houses that are completely free. None of it will cost you any money at all.” She didn’t believe me but decided to try and call my bluff. She said she got off at 3am and was willing to meet me then if we were all for real. Deal.
3am rolls around and we are out in front of Club Asia. I’m waiting, not knowing what to expect. For all I know, someone paid her bar fine and took her home for the night, the very thing I had been praying against wholeheartedly since meeting her. Then I saw her coming out of the bar doors. She saw me and called my name, almost sounding relieved that I was there. I was with some of my teammates and my father. We offered to take her to the McDonalds down the road to get her some food and she was so excited she asked if she could bring a friend. ABSOLUTELY!! LJ did not just bring one friend, she brought half of the bar staff!!
I will never forget the moment of purest happiness seeing these girls sitting in a McDonalds at 3:30am eating their fill and listening as my teammates and I, along with some of the parents that were still out with us doing ministry, as we got to explain to them that they never had to go back to that bar if they didn’t want to. The happiest night of the Race so far, sitting and offering freedom to the captive, fighting back tears as she showed me pictures of her two beautiful kids and asked if they could come and the smile on all of our faces as we answered a resounding “yes.” LJ got on the bus the next morning to go and see what freedom could look like with her own eyes. That is the last I saw of her, the last I might ever see of her. I don’t know if LJ stayed at the ministry houses. I don’t know if she went back to the bar or if she is there right now. I do know that freedom is real, and freedom inspired the most amazing night that I will never forget.
